The Raven and the Fox

An unexpected alliance for revenge

Yennefer was sitting at her desk at the Rosemary and Thyme. She was aware of the fact that Dandelion insisted on calling the tavern with its new name, The Chameleon. Just as he insisted on calling it a cabaret and not a tavern.

"I worked so hard on turning this brothel into a place of art, where everyone who can appreciate the sound of a nicely played lute, or a song sung by a maiden's warm voice, is welcome. Where it doesn't matter where you come from, whether you're a lord or a peasant. The love of the art can warm everyone's heart at the Chameleon. That is why you must use its new name, my dear friends. Because of the hard work and dedication I put into this place."

That is how Dandelion had ended his speech that evening. While the raven haired sorceress smiled on the inside, Zoltan and Priscilla burst out in laughter. Priscilla cleared her throat and took a step forward. "Dandelion, you are the one who worked so hard for this tavern?" Her voice was still a bit hoarse after the attempt on her life, which she luckily survived. It was still not sure if she would sing again, but the most important thing was that she was alive and well.

Having a hoarse voice was a little price to pay considering she could speak again, which was something the doctor wasn't sure of at first. "Aye, Dandelion, mate, are you going to claim you did all the work on this tavern?" It was Zoltan who was talking now. "As far as I remember, you were nowhere to be seen when I returned to the Rosemary. All empty, except for those little shi ts that thought they could claim this place as their own. No, friends. It was Geralt who had to sniff you out like a bloodhound and then had to save your arse once again!" Zoltan's face was bearing a wide grin while he was staring at Dandelion.

"Ah, well, yes... That might be true indeed... But when I was back here, it was me who redecorated everything!" Priscilla raised one of her eyebrows. "Really? If I recall it correctly, it was once again Geralt who did that."

At this point Yennefer had left the company of her friends to go back to the room she was using as her own. After all, she was trying to find the location of Margarita. Saying that they would bring the Lodge of Sorceresses back was one thing, but actually finding her colleagues turned out to be much harder. Normally, she would have liked a challenge like this, but the clock was ticking. And if she wanted to protect Ciri in the upcoming battle against the Wild Hunt, her power alone was simply not enough.

She hated admitting that, even to herself. She had the feeling that she had let everybody down at the battle of Kaer Morhen. Her power turned out to be not enough against an army of the Red Riders. And even though she tried not to think of that, she hadn't been the only sorceress at Kaer Morhen. Triss Merigold was also there and had fought with all of her power as well. It had not been enough. So the Lodge was their only option, for Ciri's sake.

She looked at the list of names that was laying in front of her. Keira Metz, dead. Philippa Eilhart, location unknown. Sheala de Tancarville, location unknown. Fringilla Vigo, refused to help. Rita Margarita, location unknown. She had reason to believe that Margarita was being held at the Oxenfurt Prison, but she wasn't completely sure yet. And she had to be sure before she could risk entering that fort. A frustrated sigh escaped the lips of the raven haired sorceress. She was stuck.

Yennefer got out of the chair and walked towards the window. Leaning against the windowsill she looked at the streets of Novigrad. It was dark outside and the streets were starting to fill with nightlife. She let her thoughts wonder. Ciri wasn't something she was particularly worried about, she had complete faith in her and Geralt. She knew that the witcher would not let anything hurt Ciri. But still...

Since Avallac'h marched into the tavern with the message that Ciri and Geralt had left Kaer Morhen for a destination that was unknown to him, an unsettling feeling had settled down in her stomach. She knew she would only be able to relax again if her daughter was with her once more. And the witcher too, of course.